The energy shortage which has been predicted in numerous articles and reports is now being felt by industry and the individual consumer in the State of Ohio. The supply of natural gas for new residential construction was curtailed over a year ago and industrial users have been asked to voluntarily reduce their consumption by as much as ten percent of their previous annual consumption. A mandatory allocation program for consumers of propane has been promulgated at the national level and a mandatory allocation program for other petroleum products is likely. The allocation of our critical fuel resources must occupy a prominent position as we seek solutions to the energy problem. The optimum utilization of our existing fuels will require vigorous conservation programs to stretch these resources. Although the oil and natural gas resources yet to be (1) found within the State of Ohio' are estimated to be sufficient to make a significant contribution to relieving our immediate fuel problems, the lack of a sufficient economic incentive and the presence of restrictive regulations inhibit the development of the full potential of these resources. Historically, the way of life in the United States has been dependent on an abundance of cheap energy and fuels. Without a sufficient supply of these resources, this way of life cannot be maintained at its present level. This abundance has created the illusion of a never-ending source, and along with this illusion, the development of inefficient or wasteful habits of production and consumption. Changes will be required and many of these can be accomplished without serious inconvenience to our citizens. Establishment of national energy goals and policies can lead to significant accomplishments; state and local actions and policies are equally important. Energy is essential to industrial production, to our commercial enterprises and to our transportation systems; it is vital to the health and welfare of Ohio's citizens. All segments of our society must participate in the reassessment of their own contributions to the high per capita energy consumption in our country in order to provide the opportunity for the entire population of both current and future generations to achieve acceptable standards of living. Indeed, to create the opportunity for those people who now live below the poverty level to attain a higher standard of living, such as comfortable homes, personal mobility, and economic advancement, will require an increase in the productive capacity of our industry and thus a readily available supply of energy. The growth of both our state and nation, in terms of human and economic development, will require optimal use of our energy resources. The optimization of these resources will require more efficient use of existing energy resources, vigorous energy conservation programs, an increase in the supply of our traditional fuels, and development of new energy sources. A national perspective of the fuel and energy supply, and projections (2, 3, 4, ,5) into the future are available from a number of sources. These national fuel and energy data are presented to provide a basis to compare similar data which have been compiled for Ohio. The report by the staff (3) of The Chase Manhattan Bank" includes information on the energy consumed within five major market categories. These major market categories and the percentage of the total energy supplied to these markets Electric utilities are considered as a separate market category although their primary function is to process fuels to produce electricity which is then consumed within the other markets. In addition, The Chase Manhattan Bank report includes the type of fuels which are the source of the energy. The fuels by type and the proportional amount of the total energy supply obtained from each of these fuels are: |